US regulator the FCC has stopped its informal 180-day shot-clock deadline to review the merger of telco AT&T and satellite TV provider DirecTV, and that of cablecos Comcast and Time Warner Cable (TWC).
The FCC put the reviews on hold as a number of…
US regulator the FCC has stopped its informal 180-day shot-clock deadline to review the merger of telco AT&T and satellite TV provider DirecTV, and that of cablecos Comcast and Time Warner Cable (TWC).
The FCC put the reviews on hold as a number of media companies have refused to give third parties access to confidential programming agreements between them and the pay-TV operators, it said in a statement.
The regulator also noted that the Comcast-TWC deal review was paused in response to requests by a number of deal opponents, including Dish Network, which need more time to file objections to the US$45bn merger, as they are unable to access the confidential information required to fully evaluate the deal.
Several industry players have criticised the cablecos’ merger, concerned about reduced competition in the TV and internet markets. Comcast however said its rivals were opposing the deal for opportunistic reasons.
The Comcast-TWC deal review was first stopped in early October at day 85, while the AT&T-DirecTV review was in day 76 when it was paused yesterday.
A Comcast spokesperson said it was a routine procedure for the FCC to pause the review of significant transactions as it works to create a full record.
The company is still confident that the process will complete by early 2015, as previously indicated, the spokesperson added.
An AT&T representative said that the company would provide the FCC with the information requested.
The deals are also being reviewed by the US Department of Justice.
